Match Analysis by ESPNscrum

Man of the Match: Australia's Michael Hooper deservedly picked up the Man of the Match honour with a busy display with the ball and more significantly in defence. A David Pocock lookalike, he lived up to his rival's high standards and handed coach Robbie Deans a selection headache for next week's clash with Italy.

Key Moment: With 20 minutes to play and trailing Australia by six points, England scrum-half Ben Youngs opted to tap a penalty inside the Wallabies' 22. That tactic paid off with a try in the first half but not the second time with Australia snuffing out the danger.

Hero of the Game: Australia's Berrick Barnes and Kurtley Beale claim a share of the spoils having kept the England defence guessing throughout with a particularly good kicking game.

Villain of the Game: England scrum-half Danny Care gifted Australia a first half try with a wayward kick but he redeemed himself with some quick-thinking to set up Manu Tuilagi's try.

Talking Point: Was Nick Phipps' pass to Nick Cummins for the opening try forward? Replays suggested it may have been but it was not spotted by the officials. There was also doubt about Manu Tuilagi's grounding for his try that was awarded by the Television Match Official.

Play of the Game: Australia's defence stepped up to the challenge time and time again with their ability to repel an England side short of ideas pivotal in swinging the game their way - most notably when the hosts kicked to the corner twice in the closing stages for what proved to be fruitless lineouts.

Australia bounced back from their mauling at the hands of France with a hard-fought 20-14 victory over England at Twickenham.

England clawed a half-time lead with a contentious try from Manu Tuilagi after Nick Cummins had scored his first international try for the Wallabies, but Australia turned the screw after the interval with Berrick Barnes kicking a total of 15 points.

England will rue their bold decisions to kick second-half penalties to touch instead of taking points because the Wallabies defence held firm. And the more panicky England became, the more mistakes they made and Australia saw out the victory to reclaim the Cook Cup.

England's new change kit was officially described as "regal purple", in order to reflect their place among the "rugby royalty". But with South Africa and New Zealand due at Twickenham over the next fortnight, England face an uphill battle to join the elite in the top band of World Cup seeds when the pool draw is made on December 4.

Chris Ashton returned from suspension as England's only change from last weekend's 54-12 victory over Fiji. Ashton, the star of England's record win against the Wallabies in 2010 but without a try in nine Tests, slotted back onto the right wing with Charlie Sharples switching to the left.

The injury-hit Wallabies were without David Pocock, Pat McCabe and the suspended Kane Douglas but they were able to call on wing Digby Ioane, fullback Berrick Barnes, prop Ben Alexander and lock Sitaleki Timani.

Toby Flood kicked England into an early lead but they spent most of the first half battling to stay in the game, in the face of an Australia side who were more direct and more threatening.

Initially, England defended ferociously, hitting the Wallaby ball-carriers hard on the gainline, holding them up and driving them backwards. But as the first half wore on, England began to slip off key first-up tackles and that allowed the Wallabies to build the pressure.

Danny Care did well to halt Tatafu Polota-Nau in the corner after Australia had attempted a crafty short lineout but they were soon on the back foot again. Michael Hooper, the Australian openside with an English father, slipped through Tom Youngs' tackle and offloaded to Cummins, forcing England to scramble again.

Wycliff Palu, Cummins and Alexander were all halted in their tracks before Barnes slotted the drop goal to bring the Wallabies level. England built the phases for the first time but without any real menace, unlike the Wallabies who won a scrum against the head and then released Cummins on the outside again.

Tuilagi and then Flood made half-breaks for England before Thomas Waldrom took a quick tap penalty and flicked the ball inside to Chris Robshaw. Hooper was forced to slow things down illegally and Flood's second penalty crept over the bar to restore England's lead but it was brief respite.

Hooper ran onto a long lineout and the Wallabies hammered away at the England line before Ben Alexander, with Benn Robinson on his shoulder, drove low from the ruck. The television pictures were not conclusive enough for the try to be awarded but Joe Marler was penalised at the subsequent scrum, allowing the Wallabies to leave with some points.

Flood responded with a third penalty but Care, who had been very effective in defence, was punished for a loose kick with Nick Phipps launching the counter-attack. Phipps beat one defender and then released Cummins with a questionably forward pass but the Wallaby wing streaked down the right and dived over in the corner for his maiden Test try.

Care made amends immediately, turning down a kickable penalty to take the quick tap. Tom Johnson and Brad Barritt shipped the ball wide for Tuilagi, who had Sharples on his outside but decided to go himself. Tuilagi powered through Beale and Phipps and stretched for the line with the the TMO finally confirming he had got the ball down on the whitewash.

Australia were back in the groove immediately after the interval, with Barnes and Beale pulling the strings and the Wallaby pack edging the set-piece battle. Barnes slotted three penalties in quick succession. England's response was to send on replacements and two of them in particular made an immediate impact.

Joe Launchbury took a towering high ball before Mako Vunipola burst though the line and Ashton arrowed towards the corner before being tackled into touch just short of the line. England piled on the pressure, twice rejecting penalty shots at goal in the hope of driving the Wallabies back from the lineout and it almost worked but Waldrom lost control as he grounded the ball.

This time the television official's decision went against England. Barnes' long-range penalty attempt fell short and Vunipola continued to cause damage to the Wallabies, destroying one scrum and then carrying powerfully into the Australian 22. England went for another quick tap penalty and Waldrom came steaming onto the ball but he was chopped down short of the line and again the gamble failed to pay off.